E-lesson Links
Frankie the Burglar
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7770000/newsid_7775400/7775498.stm
The story of Frankie’s exploits as told by BBC Newsround, including a short video. Challenging for pre-intermediate level.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7776450.stm
A longer BBC video about Frankie. Intermediate level and above.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1093194/Frankie-feline-exposed-cat-burglar-stealing-toys-neighbours-homes.html
The Frankie story in the British newspaper The Daily Mail, including a couple of amusing photographs. Intermediate level and above.
Slumdog Millionaire
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7905332.stm
A BBC article on the reaction in Mumbai to Slumdog Millionaire’s Oscars success. Intermediate level and above.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7909660.stm
A BBC article on plans to rehouse two of the Slumdog Millionaire child actors who live in a Mumbai slum. Intermediate level and above.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=slumdog&aq=f
A trailer for the film on YouTube. Accessible to pre-intermediate level.
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29345324/
An MSNBC article on the reaction in Mumbai to Slumdog Millionaire’s Oscars success. Intermediate level and above.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/30/AR2009013003897.html
An article from the Washington Post reflecting on the poor living conditions of some of the Slumdog Millionaire child actors and extras. Intermediate level and above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q
A trailer for the movie on YouTube. Accessible to pre-intermediate level.
Los Angeles
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles
The Los Angeles entry in Simple English Wikipedia. Accessible to pre-intermediate level.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7900000/newsid_7905000/7905090.stm
A BBC Newsround report on perhaps the highest-profile event in Los Angeles so far this year: the Oscars award ceremony. Challenging for pre-intermediate level.
https://discoverlosangeles.com/
‘The official guide to LA’. Intermediate level and above.
The Loch Ness Monster
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4770000/newsid_4778900/4778992.stm
A short piece from BBC Newsround that includes the unlikely-sounding suggestion that Nessie might in fact have been a circus elephant. The article is illustrated by Robert Wilson’s famous 1934 photograph. Challenging for pre-intermediate level.
https://www.nessie.co.uk/
Legend of Nessie, describing itself as the ‘ultimate and official Loch Ness Monster site’. Contains various photos and a detailed chronology of sightings. Intermediate level and above.
https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_TljIeHSamE
From YouTube, a clip from Tim Dinsdale’s grainy black and white film from 1960 that seems to show a large object moving along under the surface of Loch Ness.
Snow
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4280000/newsid_4287700/4287711.stm
A BBC Newsround forum (2005) with ‘snow stories’ submitted by children and younger teenagers. Accessible to intermediate level.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4110000/newsid_4117600/4117679.stm
Again from BBC Newsround, an article (2004) explaining what officially constitutes a ‘white Christmas’ in Britain. Accessible to intermediate level.
https://www.snowcastle.net/en/
Official website of the impressive Kemi SnowCastle in Finland. Intermediate level and above.
January Blues?
https://www.snowcastle.net/en/
Official website of the impressive Kemi SnowCastle in Finland. Intermediate level and above.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4110000/newsid_4117600/4117679.stm
Again from BBC Newsround, an article (2004) explaining what officially constitutes a ‘white Christmas’ in Britain. Accessible to intermediate level.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4280000/newsid_4287700/4287711.stmA BBC Newsround forum (2005) with ‘snow stories’ submitted by children and younger teenagers. Accessible to intermediate level.
Vegetarianism
Related Websites
https://www.vegsoc.org/
Official website of the Vegetarian Society, which is dedicated to ‘promoting the health, environmental and animal-welfare benefits of a vegetarian diet’. Accessible to upper intermediate level.
https://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink
A recent article (September 2008) in the British newspaper The Observer on the declaration by Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that one of the best ways to tackle global warming would be for people to eat less meat. Challenging for upper intermediate level.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/09/09/do0901.xml
A hostile response to Dr Pachauri’s arguments from the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, published in the Daily Telegraph. Challenging for upper intermediate level.
Diego Maradona
Related Websites
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7730000/newsid_7735600/7735609.stm
A recent article from BBC Newsround (November 2008) on Maradona’s arrival in Glasgow as manager of the Argentina national team before their friendly game against Scotland. Challenging for pre-intermediate level.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/11/18/celtic-ballboy-s-special-moment-with-argentina-legend-diego-maradona-86908-20904076/
Another recent piece, from the Scottish newspaper the Daily Record, about Maradona’s grateful reaction when a 13-year-old ball boy found a medallion he had lost during a training session Glasgow. Challenging for pre-intermediate level.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maradona
The Wikipedia entry on Maradona. Intermediate level and above..
Britain and knife crime
https://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_3980000/newsid_3985900/3985989.stm
A BBC Newsround lesson plan on the subject of knife crime, aimed at teachers in British schools, with links on the right-hand side of the page to various knife crime-related items. Accessible to intermediate level students.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7421534.stm
A BBC News article (2008) asking ‘Is knife crime as common as we think?’ Challenging for intermediate level.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7508418.stm
A BBC News article (2008) on knife crime in various other parts of the world. Challenging for intermediate level.
British and American English
https://eleaston.com/brit-eng.html#diff
The ‘Great Britain’ section of the E. L. Easton EFL website, which contains links to numerous sites on the subject of the differences between American and British English.
https://www.effingpot.com/index.shtml
Describing itself as ‘The American’s Guide to Speaking British’, this website provides explanations of numerous British words and expressions with which Americans might be unfamiliar. Note that the vocabulary lists include some swearwords.
https://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/blbritam.htm
From About.com, a tool for converting American English words into their British English equivalents, and vice versa.
U.S. presidential election
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/vote_usa_2008/default.stm
